Solar energy too expensive for Ghana now - Allotey

Professor Emeritus Francis Kofi Ampenyi Allotey, a renowned Mathematician and Physicist has told Starr Chat host Bola Ray that although going Solar can help solve Ghana’s energy problems, it is too expensive for the country to explore now.

According to him, solar has also not proven to be completely reliable in resolving energy deficiencies.

“Solar is good but technology is not quite proven yet, so I will not advise that now.

“Another argument is that, it’s too expensive so it will be the energy for the future, but not now,” he stated Wednesday.

Ghana is currently shedding between 400 and 700 Megawatts of power between off-peak and peak periods due to a shortfall in production which has been attributed to lack of gas supply to thermal plants across the country from the West Africa Gas Pipeline in Nigeria, as well as poor hydrology of the three main hydro-electric power stations: Akosombo, Bui and Kpong.

Also, the breakdown of some thermal plants while others are undergoing maintenance at the same time, have also been blamed for the problem as well as the lack of money to buy crude oil to fuel some of the thermal plants.